Gender, stereotypes and grade level in the draw-a-scientist test in Italian schoolchildren.
Abstract
The ways in which children from different countries view and draw scientists have been investigated in numerous studies. The present study explored Italian primary school students’ images of scientists and their work, with a particular focus on gender and grade level differences. A sample of 686 students (368 girls and 318 boys) from the first (n = 193), second (n = 155), fourth (n = 180), and fifth (n = 158) grades were asked to draw a scientist; this was based on Chamber’s Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST). Grounded in prior literature, a new drawing analysis protocol was developed to code the participants’ drawings. Descriptive and bivariate analyses revealed that, as in other Western cultures, Italian schoolchildren still hold a stereotypical image of scientists (i.e. male gender, positive expression, and working indoors and alone). The participants tended to draw scientists corresponding to their own biological sex, and the male participants made greater use of stereotypical indicators. Low grade-level participants drew less stereotypical images of scientists compared to older children, but the latter portrayed the activity of scientists more completely and realistically. The findings of this study supported the need for an Italian cultural change involving both students and their teachers.
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Children's drawing appears to be a useful tool for research because it allows examination of the representations and perceptions that children exhibit toward a particular topic of inquiry.
“Children’s drawing appears to be a useful tool for research because it allows us to examine the representations and perceptions that children exhibit toward a particular topic of inquiry (Bozzato et al., 2021).”
From The representation of bullying in Italian primary school children: A mixed-method study comparing drawing and interview data and their association with self-report involvement in bullying events (2022) · cites this paper as Bozzato et al., 2021
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“, 2016), but also by a tendency of females to portray more positive feelings in the drawings (Picard and Boulhais, 2011; Bozzato et al., 2021).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
- Authors
- Bozzato, P., Fabris, M. A., & Longobardi, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Insubria (IT)
- University of Turin (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Longobardi, C.
- Venue
- International Journal of Science Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2021-10-31
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 16
- Pages
- 2640-2662
- ISSN
- 0950-0693 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-5289
- OpenAlex
- W3209912806
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 9.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Science Education (publishedVersion)
- IrInSubria (University of Insubria) (submittedVersion)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Science Education and Perceptions
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
- Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
- Keywords
- gender stereotypes, images of scientists, Draw-A-Scientist Test, children's drawings, gender differences, grade level differences, elementary school students
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